27/01/2026
⚠️ New NDIS plan approved, but funding seems unavailable?
In recent months, many families have been asking:
👉 “A new NDIS plan was just approved. Can therapy start immediately?”
👉 “The plan amount looks high, so why can’t all services be booked at once?”
Here is the key change 👇
From 19 May 2025, most new and reassessed NDIS plans no longer release the full budget upfront.
👉 Funding is now released in stages (Funding Periods).
💰 What are “Funding Periods”?
In simple terms:
❌ Before: The full budget was available immediately
✅ Now: Funding is released in segments (usually every 3 months)
Typical release patterns:
• Therapy / Capacity Building → Usually quarterly (every 3 months)
• Home & Living → Often monthly
• Assistive Technology (AT) & Home Modifications → Still released in full
⚠️ Important:
👉 Only the current funding period amount can be used, not the total annual plan budget.
😵💫 Why can’t therapy always start immediately with a new plan?
This is becoming very common:
• A new plan is approved
• Families plan to start:
◦ OT assessment
◦ Reports
◦ Ongoing therapy
• But the first funding period is limited
👉 Assessment + report fees may use up the first funding period
👉 No funding left for therapy until the next period
👉 Families may need to self-fund temporarily 💸
⚠️ Result:
Not everything can be done at once. Priority planning is now essential.
📌 Next post: Practical tips on how to plan services and maximise funding under the new NDIS funding period system.
